The Deepwater Horizon disaster has played havoc with the Summer of 2010 on the Gulf of Mexico.  Even when the oil slicks have stayed away the economy of the Gulf Region has suffered.  One reason is even when the beaches are looking pretty the beach scene has changed dramatically.  There remains the concern about what the health effects might be from the dispersant and oil mix known to be in the water though unseen.  There are bits of tar balls that make their appearance, but perhaps even more intrusive to the beach fans is the presence of workers and the noise associated with their activity.

My wife Karen and I were in the Sandestin Beach area of the northwestern panhandle of Florida for a work seminar/mini vacation between July 7 and 11.  The beach was not marred by heavy oil as had been seen the week before in Orange Beach, Alabama during the Fourth of July weekend.  In fact for the most part the beach was beautiful and there were many vacationers enjoying the sand and surf.  Yet, something was very wrong and we could sense it easily from what we observed.  The video included in this blog post tells the story.